MarkG wrote:I'll pass total judgement til I've seen the whole interview, but FWIW, he is already a lot more frank and open than I thought he'd be.

Exactly the same.

People are picking at certain things he didn't talk about, but yeah, on the whole I was surprised at the depth and openness.

I call !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! on him not being juiced during the comeback though. Statute of limitations? I guess the thing now is that we all know how well the guy lies. It's tough to know when he's telling the truth, unless it's being corroborated by others who have nothing to gain.

As with others absolute judgement is reserved until the second interview is aired. As of here and now though not satisfied in the slightest. Yes he's owned up but that was practically a given from the moment he gave up the fight with USADA. Until he illuminates how the whole doping regime was systematic, and the connections within it's no more than than yet another TDF rider (albeit the most prominent one) on the juice story.

Professional cycling was at a four lane arterial crossroad in 1999 after the Festina affair. Lance might've helped it go another way. Instead it looks so far that the limited confession line he's pursuing will merely keep the stench of doping in cycling lingering for more years to come.

I think a lot of people out there, cyclists and non cyclist included wanted mostly to hear the words "yes" when asked if he cheated and took drugs, and weren't totally invested in the whole deep seeded scandal.

The reality is, its only a 2 hour interview, and if you were hoping for a full detailed manifesto of how deep doping and corruption runs within the UCI, US Postal etc , I think it was always going to be asking a lot for a one off interview.In the mind of Oprah and her network it's entertainment first, and investigative journalism second.Just remember, Oprahs's previous guests on this segment have included Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Linsay Lohan, so read in to that what you will.

I dare say that if or when a full royal commission in to corruption and sanctioned doping within the UCI ever happens, and Lance is called up, then you'll get the full inner workings of what happened in those bleak years.

As for the Betsy Andreu part, I've not seen it yet so I can't comment.

Lance appears to me to be sorry that he was caught - not that he doped. I will be a little more satisfied if and when he apologises to the riders that he belittled, harassed and falsely accused of lying about his drug use.

Apple wrote:I found it hard to watch, it was soooooooooooo Embarrassing

+1. Straight face tutorial.

Otherwise I am finding it hard to judge whether I am satisfied with LA's confession. From some angles, it's not sufficient until he does a harakiri in front of Oprah. From other angles, this is a good and sufficient start for both himself and the whole sport.

Thankyou for sharing the Betsy Andreu video, I she certainly has my sympathy after how much she and her husband have endured for their 'honesty' and when finally given the chance, she is let down again. Armstrong said there was an agreement or deal with Andreu so it wouldn't be discussed, but if she knows nothing of this, could it be that Lance Armstrong is.... lying? Wouldn't be the first time and the advantage of not answering this is self preservation where he is likely protecting himself from legal action (admit, I am not up to scratch on the legal implications and at which point he escapes under the statute of limitations or is still liable).

From another angle with fact, doping was the prevail culture of cycling in Euroland in those days. And here comes a driven Texan who played their game in typical American corporate fashion (ie. Big money, MBA 101 and latest technology) and "won". It certainly turned the Euro Pros on their head and broke their dominance. With thinking like that, it's no surprise he would feel sorry that he got caught. Not saying he is right but just trying to analyse what's going on in his head. To me, it's all quite logical. And yes, JohanB is also a very intelligent man. Even with dope and bullying, what they did could not have been done without well above average levels of intellect. Reminds me of the movie "The Brain" (1969).

Not at all satisfied... he not only deflected, or refused to answer questions - but he was still lying!He neglected the earlier donations that he made to the UCI, all the while saying "I hate them, I'd tip them in." If he hates them, why did he give them money - on more than one occasion?And how can he say he never tested positive right before admitting the backdated prescription for cortisone? For some reason he doesnt seem to consider cortisone a performance enhancing drug, because even when he was talking about the drugs he took, he'd only mention EPO, Testosterone (while justifying it) and transfusions.Not to mention the cop out way that he answered questions about pressuring others into riding - Oprah called him on the semantics, but didn't call him on the outright lies, if you're prepared to believe a number of other whistleblowers.I think I'll go out for a ride tomorrow at about 1pm, I dont really want to sit through any more of his crap.

The reality is he has told lies for sooo long it must be natural for him to keep lying when he needs to, so it will be very hard to take anything he says as fact. The other fact is he will never implicate anyone else as he will have been advised not to sink others who will be likely to sue/ work against him because the !! BAN ME NOW FOR SWEARING !! will hit his fan no in a big way and he will not want anything or anyone working against him when his back is against the wall. He could also be liable if he implicates anyone and they have more money, better lawyers or the backing of USADA or WADA.It was hard to listen to it as there are so many people who got burnt/ missed out on sponsorship, podiums, success. You only need to read the transcript of Nicole Cooke's retirement speech. Lance does not give a f&%k about the people like Cooke and those people will never get anything back for people like lance. It is still all about lance and will be for a long time.

Bill

TdF 2011: as Cadel Evans crosses the finish at Alpe-d’Huez: "I reckon tonight in hindsight he may have won the Tour de France tomorrow." The man Phil Ligget !!!